Then and now: Burgers for better than 50 years
Sno-Flake has been serving burgers since 1961. Photo/Bob Rockwell
It’s common to see lines for soft serve cones. Photo/Bill Kingman
Sno-Flake Drive-In — a Highway 50 landmark in the Al Tahoe area. A burger joint first started there in the 1950s.
And at one time, it was purple.
It has been Sno-Flake since July 1961. Here is a Lake Tahoe News story about the burger joint turning 50.
— Bill Kingman
Link does not work for me. Ah, well, computers.
We had lots of names for that place. Also, later for a certain car wash on the west side of town.
Thanks for the memories…
Nice picture, no story.
Bill Kingman and Bob Fleischer,
Another good one Bill! For awhile there it was called “Big Daddy Burger” that was named after there premiure burger. They also sold these things called “Pixie Sticks” around 65′,66′,. They were straws filled with flavored sugar. Break open one of the closed ends and pour sugar into mouth. No wonder I did so poorly at the Intermidate school…too much sugar! (yeah right long skiis, blame it on the sugar!)
Bob Fleischer. If the car wash you’re talking about is near keys blvd. and next to that old log cabin on 50, that car wash was owned by Allie Egin. A good guy who had the BADDEST jeep for miles around. ” Chain Gang ” as it was named, was a bright yellow flat fender jeep and derived it’s name for its chain driven power to the 4wd. Hot rodded V-8, big paddle wheel tires and most definetly not street legal. Built for one thing only, climbing the big hill out at the sand pits.
Allie would show off at the annual Gamblers Rodeo put on by the Hi-Los out at the sand pits, which is midway between Sawmiil pond and the intersection for the High School. He’d stop half way up the steep sandy hill, kill the motor, then start it up again and climb the rest of the way to the top. Chevy motor roarin’ away, sand flyin’ in the air as the crowd went wild! Good times to be sure.OLS
Started in the 50’s, opened in 1961? Huh
We comment on Sno-Flake all the time as we drive by and see lines out the door. People will always enjoy that place.
For 8th grade graduation last year I told my daughter she could go anywhere she wanted to for lunch and she chose Sno-Flake..we got there and it was full of families and 8th graders that all thought the same thing :).
Local’s card, friendly service and consistent quality.
When South Tahoe High was just blocks away (what is now the Middle School), and they had “open campus”, the first hour for freshman & sophomores, the second for juniors & seniors, the kids all flocked in that direction (Snowflake) but quite often made it further down the street to “Little Mac’s” (of course with its’ chubby owner) as it had a jukebox with a lot of ’50’s Rock & Roll. . .
That is where Sprouts is now except that Little Mac’s was perpendicular to Hiway 50, had about a 6 stool counter, and ‘standing room only’. . .only way later did Sprouts go horizontal.
My classmate Keith’s parents started the Snowflake, although I can’t recall their last name now. . .
I had enough class credits to have both open campus lunch periods, so the early sixties’ were a great social life for me, knowing as I did the members of all 4 classes. . .but, in the spring, either the lake or the ski runs were for the rest of the afternoon, as the “open” part made it difficult to return to South Tahoe High in April & May. . .which, for me, was a Real Estate class taught by Ed Hegarty, the basketball coach (with 4 students in an elective class, he would load us all in his car, and “visit” job sites here & there on South Shore) . . .
I always thought I and my classmates single-handedly shut down the open campus format. . . but Mr. MacInnerny (?) was always gracious in signing off on our excuses as to why we weren’t there in the afternoon. . .he called it “lobster flu” for the sunburned-faces. . .
Thanks again, Bill. . .